Back in January we pretty much planned all our family vacations for the month of June – a vacation to Alaska to see Noel’s parents and a camping trip to Southern Utah to rendezvous with my family. The hard thing about planning trips in January (other than not being able to foresee that you will buy a house the same month you plan your vacations) is that heat sounds like a good idea. Well, last Friday when we were packing our stuff and moaning over a forecast of high 90’s and low 100’s it no longer seemed like such a good idea. Still, the plans were made and we set off for Green River, Utah.

Despite being constantly sweaty and nearly eaten alive by mosquitos we had a grand old time visiting Goblin Valley, Arches, Moab, and a few sites near Green River (my hometown between the ages of 3-5). Everyone of course loved seeing Cooper and we of course loved having people around to share the burden of carrying him. We pounded gallons of water, enjoyed wearing Chacos, and had our own three day dutch oven cook-off with food that never disappointed. The shady campground and showers at Green River state park helped us avoid wilting and I believe our newly fixed car A/C was mentioned as a source of gratitude in every nightly prayer 🙂 Southern Utah will always hold a tender place in my heart, but I think from now on we’ll try to pay our visits in the fall or spring and visit the mountains during the summer.